L5/CH9 Flashcards
Psyche
the totality of the human mind, conscious and unconscious
Sigmund Freud
Austrian neurologist, professor, and later psychotherapist
Contribution of Freud
founded psychoanalysis and focused on the unconscious, libido, defense mechanisms, and early childhood experiences
3 main criticisms of Freud
relied on case studies of wealthy white people instead of experimentation or hypothesis testing; held a negative view on human nature; sexist and heteronormative theories
Carl Gustav Jung
Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist who worked with Freud in the 1900s
Contribution of Jung
founded analytical psychology and focused on symbolism, mysticism, occultism, the collective unconscious, archetypes, etc.
Psychic determinism (Freud)
accidents of daily life are often reflections of the motivated unconscious; everything we think, feel, do, and say is an expression of our mind (conscious, preconscious, unconscious)
Talking cure (Freud)
the unconscious cause of a psychological symptom must be discovered before it can be cured
Personality change (Freud)
a redirection of one’s psychic energy, which remains constant throughout life
Freud’s basic instincts
strong innate forces that supply all psychic energy (i.e. primary motives of behavior) that can create conflict within or between people
2 kinds of basic instincts
life instinct or eros (previously self-preservation and sexual instincts) and death instinct or thanatos
Eros
any need-satisfying, life-sustaining, pleasure-orienting surge
Thanatos
any urge to destroy, harm, or aggress against others or oneself
Energy/impulse of life vs death instinct
libido; destrudo
Life vs death instinct expressed in everyday life
self-care, love, sex, creativity, communion; aggression, destruction, violence, agency (separation and mastery)
Jung’s argument on human behavior
free will and goal-directedness largely determine human behavior, not unconscious processes
Factors that affect whether someone has free will
how free will is defined, the behavior/outcome in question, the interpretation of research
3 components in Freud’s organization of the mind
conscious, preconscious, unconscious
Conscious
current thoughts, feelings, and perceptions that you are aware of
Preconscious
information that can easily be retrieved but you are not presently thinking about (e.g. memories, dreams)
Unconscious
largest part of the mind containing instincts, urges, and thoughts/memories of which a person is unaware
3 components of Freud’s structural model of personality
id, ego, superego
Id
most primitive part of the mind that we are born with; source of all drives and urges that acts on the pleasure principle (desire for immediate gratification) and primary process thinking
Primary process thinking
thinking without logical rules of conscious thought or an anchor in reality
Wish fulfillment
something unavailable in reality is conjured up and the image of it is temporarily satisfying to the id
Ego
executive of personality that constrains id to reality, acts on the reality principle (understands that urges are often in conflict with physical and social reality) and secondary process thinking; develops within first 2-3 years of life
Secondary process thinking
the development of strategies for solving problems and obtaining satisfaction (i.e. when and how to express a desire or urge)
Superego
internalizes the ideals, values, and morals of parents and society/culture/authority; felt as guilt, shame, pride; developed at age 5
2 components of the superego
conscience (a sense of morality or right and wrong) and ego-ideal (ideal image of self)
How is a well-balanced mind achieved?
having a strong ego that balances competing forces of the id and superego
Jung’s model of the psyche
the psyche consists of both conscious and unconscious elements
5 elements of the psyche according to Jung
ego (conscious mind), persona (character we display), shadow (dark side), anima (feminine in men), animus (masculine in women)
Jung’s notion of the shadow
the dark side of one’s personality that they don’t want to face, relegated to the unconscious (e.g. instincts, desires)
Jung’s collective unconscious
second psychic system (aside from the personal unconscious) of a collective, universal, impersonal nature which is identical in all individuals and inherited, not developed individually
Modern explanation of the collective unconscious
it represents innate or genetically-determined psychological concepts and mechanisms that allow us to respond to universal phenomena; similar to instincts
2 contemporary views on the unconscious mind
motivated (Freudian) view and cognitive view
Motivated view of the unconscious
urges and undesirable thoughts/feelings are buried in the conscious
Cognitive view of the unconscious
information perceived may get into the unconscious and influence us but it’s not buried and it’s not very powerful
Anxiety according to Freud
an unpleasant state indicating that the ego is being threatened
3 types of anxiety according to Freud
objective, neurotic, and moral
Objective anxiety
fear that occurs in response to a real, external threat to a person
Neurotic anxiety
direct conflict between the id and ego
Moral anxiety
conflict between the ego and superego
Defence mechanisms according to Freud
ways for the ego to cope with anxiety; typically operate unconsciously and distort, transform, or falsify reality in some way to reduce tension
2 functions of defence mechanisms
to protect the ego and minimize anxiety and distress
7 defence mechanisms
repression, rationalization, reaction formation, denial, displacement, projection, sublimation
Fundamental attribution error
a form of denial; tendency to blame events outside one’s control for failure but accept responsibility for success
Repression
preventing unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or urges from reaching conscious awareness
Rationalization
reasoning, explaining, making excuses for outcomes
Reaction formation
displaying opposite behaviors to how you actually think or feel, often in an exaggerated way
Denial
insisting things are not the way they seem and not seeing facts
Displacement
redirecting a threatening impulse to a less threatening target; unconsciously avoiding recognition that one has inappropriate or unacceptable feelings toward a specific person or object
Projection
attributing negative qualities of oneself to others
False consensus effect
tendency to assume that others are similar to them; similar to projection
Sublimation
converting unacceptable sexual or aggressive instincts into socially acceptable activities (i.e. an adaptive defence); ego doesn’t have to keep id in check
When does the use of defence mechanisms become problematic?
when it inhibits the ability to be productive or limits the ability to maintain relationships
Which defence mechanisms are necessary for narcissists to maintain their sense of superiority?
projection and reaction formation
Which defence mechanism is the only one Freud talked about positively?
sublimation
Anxiety according to Jung
it propels us to make meaning and purpose (e.g. through religion, spirituality, symbolism), which then help us manage the anxiety
One way to successfully manage threats and anxiety
meaning-focused coping
Freud’s theory of psychosexual development
children pass through a series of developmental stages, each corresponding to an increasingly mature expression of libido, wherein they must face or resolve specific events or conflicts (i.e. seek sexual gratification)
What results in a fixation in a particular psychosexual stage?
frustration and over-indulgence (which define adult personality)
4 psychosexual stages (and their durations)
oral (birth to 18 months), anal (18 months to 3 years), phallic (3 to 5 years), latency (6 to puberty), genital (puberty and onwards)
Key conflict and goal in oral stage
weaning from breast or bottle; to gain independence while still trusting parent
Effect of neglectful vs overprotective parents in oral stage
oral aggressive personality (hostile, sadistic, exploitative); oral receptive personality (needy, co-dependent, masochistic)
Key conflict and goal in anal stage
toilet-training; to achieve self-control and develop a functioning ego
Effect of strict vs liberal parents in anal stage
anal retentive personality (stubborn, obsessive, overly tidy); anal expulsive personality (emotional, rebellious, messy)
Key conflict in phallic stage
unconscious attraction toward opposite-sex parent and hostility toward same-sex parent;
Goal in phallic stage
to identify with and relate to parents in a healthy, mature way and to internalize their ideals, values, morals (thus developing a superego with conscience and ego-ideal)
Oedipal conflict
main conflict for boys in the phallic stage; unconscious wish to have his mother all to himself by eliminating the father
Castration anxiety
boy’s fear that his father will take away his genitals, which drives him to surrender his sexual desire for his mother
Identification
process of a boy wanting to become like his father, which marks the beginning of the superego, male gender role, and resolution of the Oedipal conflict and phallic stage
Penis envy or electra complex
counterpart of castration anxiety; a girl’s simultaneous desire for her father and envy for his penis
Effect of fixation in phallic stage
phallic personality (self-assured, vain, impulsive, narcissistic)
When does narcissism occur according to Freud?
when an individual’s libido energy becomes invested in the ego-ideal or aspects of the self due to lack of parental love and identification, and failure to direct libido healthily
Effect of narcissism on ego-ideal
it becomes inflated or grandiose and destructive because it contains immature and unattainable images of perfection and omnipotence
Latency stage
a period of psychological rest wherein a child is going to school, learning skills and abilities required to take on the role of an adult
Genital psychosexual stage
libido is outwardly directed toward other adults in a healthy manner; only reached if previous conflicts are resolved
Genital personality
well-adjusted, mature, able to love/be loved
Individuation (Jung)
the process of integrating the conscious and unconscious (personal and collective) through self-awareness, introspection, and confronting the shadow
The self according to Jung
the unified conscious and unconscious, which results in the expression of our true character or whole personality
Importance of self-awareness
key factor in maturation and growth as confronting repressed or suppressed conflicts is necessary for well-being
